Hydrocarbon-furnace.



No. 793,174. PATENTED JUNE 27,1905. G. L. BOURNB.

HYDROGARBON PURNACB.

APPLIUATIGN FILED NOV.17,1902.

3 SHEETS-BHEBT 1.

No. 793,174. PATENTED JUNE 27, 1905. G. L. BOURNB.

HYDROGARBON PURNACB.

APPLIOATION FILED N0v.17,1902.

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PATENTED JUNE 27, 1905.

G. L. BOURNE.

HYDROGARBON FURNAGE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17, 1902.

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UNTTED STATES (urFiORGE fPatented June 27, 1905.

PATENT "OFFICE,

L. BOURNE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE RAIL- TION OF ILLINOIS.

HYDROCARBON-FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 793,174, dated June 27', 1905.

Application filed November 17, 1902. Serial No. 131,705.

Be it known that LGnoRen L.BoUi Nn, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing' at Chicag'o, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in I'l,vdrocarbon-Furnaces, of which the following' is a specification.

rl`his invention relates to novel improvements in furnaces of the class which. employ crude petroleum or fuel oil as a fuel; and it has for its object to provide an economical and serviceable furnace of comparatively small size and promote the eflicicney of this class of furnaces by producing' a perfect combustion of the fuel, and thus secure the benelit of all the heat units contained in the fuel. This result is obtained, primarily, by introducing' oil -and air into a primary combustionchamber and there volatilizing' and converting the oil into a complete gaseous state and then introducing' a blast of fresh air to supplythe necessary additional oxygen to provide al perfect combustion in a secondary combustion-chamber, so that a high degree of perfect heat, free from uncombined carbon or oxyg'en, will be obtained in the heating-chamber located adjacent to the secondary combustion-chamber.

.For the purpose of explaining' the invention l have shown it embodied in thc vform of a furnace for welding' iiues, and referring' thereto Figure I shows the furnace in elevation.

Fig'. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig'. 3. Fig'. 3 1s an end view. Fig'. '-l is a diagrammatic view on the line l Je of Fig'. 2. Fig'. is a top plan view. Fig'. 6 is a sectional view of the air-valve and burner connections. Fig'. T is a sectional view of the plug-closure for the lighting-opening'.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding' parts in the several figures.

Referring' to the drawings, l() is the exterior casing' of the furnace, which may be made of suitable castings secured together in a proper manner. A vertical primary combustionchamber ll is located at one end of the furnace and walled up with fire-brick l2, which are partly surrounded by a non-combustible packing' 18 of asbestos or other material to make the combus-tion-ehamber air-tig'ht. This primary combustion-chamber communicates at the top with a horizontal secondary combl.istionclian1ber l-I, which in turn communicates directly with a horizontal heating-chamber l5. e:

The burner 16 is located at the bottom of the primary comhustion-chamber and comprises a burnerconnection I7, provided with an upward extension 1S, which projects through the bottom 1) of the furnace into the combustion-chamber. An oil-tube 20 is arranged in said extension and is provided with a threadcd collar 21 near its bottom, which is screwed into the threaded wall 9.2 of an aperture in the bottom of the burner connection. This oiltube is preferably provided with a valve 20' at its upper end, which is adapted to be raised by the pressure of the oil, and a space is left around the tube between itself and the extension 2.3 to permit the escape of air from the air-pipe. The oil-tube is connected at its lower end with a supply-pipe 24, provided with a valve 25, adapted to be operated by a lever 26.

rlhe air-valve connection 27 is connected in line with the burner connection and is provided with an outlet 28, which communicates with a llue 2.) in the furnace between the primary combustion-chamber and the end wall of the furnace. An air-pipe 30 is connected with this air-valve connection at one end thereof, and a valve 3l is located in the connection 27 and arranged to shut ell' or open communication between said pipe and the outlet Q8 and the burner. This valve is operated by a lever l2,.fulcrumed on the side of the fm'nace, Fig'. 3. The air-[lue 29 extends upward as hig'h as the primary combustion-chamber and then turns inward at Z9 to discharge into the secondary combustion-ehamber just above the upper end of the primary combustion-chamber, so that a quantity of air will be discharged into the `gases resulting' from the primary combustion, and thereby provide the necessary oxygen for a perfect combustion of the fuel before the gases enter the heating-chamber. The wall 33 is lower than the opposite wall of the primary combustionchamber, and one end 35 of the secondary combustion-chamber above the flue 29 is inclined or skewed to promote the movement of the gases from the combustion-chambers to the heating-chamber.

The secondary combustion-chamber is provided with a contracted end 36, Fig. 4, which communicates directly with the heating-'chamber, which in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings is long and narrow and walled up with fire-brick 37. An opening 38 is provided in the bottom of the heating-chamber at the end thereof through which the slag may escape, and this has been found very convenient, because the slag is carried along by the gases to the end of the chamber and the chamber is thereby kept comparatively clean and free from the accumulation of slag. A solid top 34, of fire-brick, is provided above the heating-chamber and above the secondary combustion-chamber, and the heating-chamber has two or more transverse passages 39 to accommodate the fiues which are inserted in the passages to be heated. At the back of the furnace and opposite each of the transverse passages 39 I provide a stop 40, which is held in place in a suitable manner by a clamp 41 on a support 42 and against which the fiue is held while being heated.

To protect the operator from any heat which may escape from the furnace, I provide air-pipes 43 on each side of the furnace, which are connected with the air-pipe l30. These pipes have a series of openings 44 opposite the transverse passages 39, so that the jets of air issuing from said openings will protect the operator from any heat that may radiate from the furnace.

I provide an opening 45 in the casing opposite the lateral extension of the air-fine, so that access can be had to the secondary combustion-chamber without removing the bricks, and I also provide a valve 46 at the bottom of the oil-tube, so that it can \be drained when necessary.

The construction of my improved furnace provides for distributing the air to the fiue and the burner in a manner which will facilitate a primary'volatilization of the oil in a thorough mannei` and a perfect secondary combustion, and in this wajT I obtain a furnace of the very highest efficiency. The oil may be fed by gravity or under pressure; but in either case it is adapted when the oil-valve 25 is opened to raise the valve 20 by its own pressure and ooze out laterally at the top of the oil-tube. The burner may then be lighted by first removing the plug 48 and inserting burning cotton-waste. The valve 20 is made somewhat larger than the top of the oil-tube, so as to project partly over the airspace around said tube. The air issuing from the air-pipe will strike the oil oozing' out beneath the valve 20' and be retarded slightly in its upward movement by engaging the projecting face of said valve, thus allowing volatilization to take place at the burner. The communication of the air-pipe with the air-Hue is located adjacent to the valve and in advance of the burner, and thus the direction of movement of the air as it flows by the valve 31 is first toward the outlet 28 and thence on to the burner. The primary combustion takes place close tothe burner and the air and oil become volatilized and converted into a complete gaseous state by the time they reach the top of the primary combustion-chamber and pass into the secondary combustion chamber, where the fresh air is introduced from the air-fiue to provide additional oxygen to obtain a perfect combustion before the gases pass into the heating-chamber. This perfect combustion takes place immediately adjacent to the heating-chamber, so that the furnace may be confined to comparatively small proportions without restricting its uses or capacity.

The improved results obtained with my furnace are due in a large measure to the fact that combustion takes place right at the burner and the oil which is not consumed is volatilized and wholly converted into a gaseous state before it passes to the secondary combustion-chamber, where the admission of additional air provides for a complete and perfect combustion. I am thus enabled to allow the heated gases to pass directly from the secondary combustion-chamber into the heating-chamber in which the work is to be done and without danger of the material suffering from oxidation or wasting or scaling. There is an entire absence of uncombined carbon or oxygen in the heating-chamber, which is of the very utmost importance in weldingheat furnaces, because of the impossibility of welding material that has been heated in an oxidizing or carbonizing iame, owing to the oxidation or carbonization which takes place on the surface of the material. A welding heat may be obtained in my improved furnace in a very few minutes, and as a perfect combustion of the fuel is obtained it is not necessary to provide a stack or other means of escape for unconsumed carbon. I therefore completely close the furnace at the top and provide only the opening 38 in the bottom and at the end opposite the combustionchambers to permit the slag to escape. I also make the primary combustion-chamber to all intents and purposes air-tight, so that the quantity of air introduced therein may be regulated and controlled by the operator in proper proportion to the quantity of oil, and thus secure a complete volatilization of the oil. Y

I do not claim herein the burner, for the same forms the subject-matter of a divisional IOO IIO

application, Serial No. 182,876, tiled November 2T, 1903.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I` claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

i. A furnace comprising a vertical primary combustion-chamber at one end, a horizontal secondary combustion-chamber at the top of the primary combustion-chamber, a heatingehamber adjacent to and communicating with the secondary combustion-chamber and extending horizontally therefrom, a solid top for the secondary combustion-ehamber and the heating-chamher, and an opening inthe bottom of the heating-chamber at the end thereof opposite the combustion-chamhers.

Q. A furnace comprisinga vertical primary combustionchamber, an elongated heatingchamber, a secondary combustion-chamber at the top of the primary combustion-chamber and provided with acontracted end opening directly into the heating-chamber, transverse passages in said heating-chamber between its ends and opening' through the sides of the furnace, a solid top for the heating` and secondary combustion chambers, and an opening in the bottom of the heating-chamber at the end thereof opposite the combustion-chambers.

3. A furnace comprising a heating-chamber, a transverse passage through said heating-chamber opening at the sides of the furnace, and a stop arranged at one end of said passage.

4. A furnace comprising an elongated heating-chamber, a combustion-chamber communicating with said lieatingchamber at one end thereof, a solid top for the'heating-chamber, a transverse passage through said heatingohainber opening' at the sides of the furnace, and an opening in the bottom of the heatingehamber at the end thereof opposite the combustion-chamber.

GEORGE L. BOURNE.

Vitnesses:

'VM. O. BELT, HELEN L. PEOR. 

